Meet Some Of Our University Professors!
Professor Michael Pearson, English, talks to a student about the study abroad program at Old Dominion University.
Victoria Time
Gayle McCombs Research
Garrett McAuliffe wrote a book culminating his life's work in counseling. Photo Chuck Thomas/ODU
Professor Michael Pearson, English, talks to a student about the study abroad program at Old Dominion University.
Victoria Time
Gayle McCombs Research
Garrett McAuliffe wrote a book culminating his life's work in counseling. Photo Chuck Thomas/ODU
The designation of University Professor has been established in order to recognize faculty members at the University who are outstanding teachers at the undergraduate level. Only tenured faculty members will be considered for this honor. Designated faculty members will hold the title permanently, be so identified in University publications, and will receive an annual monetary award of discretionary funds to support their professional development for the four years following their appointment. The names of all University Professors will be engraved on a plaque to be prominently displayed at the University.
Eligibility
Nominees shall have met the following criteria:
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Each nominee shall ordinarily teach a minimum of three undergraduate courses per year for at least the past three years.
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Faculty nominated for consideration as University Professors shall have a record of superior accomplishment in teaching. The nominee shall document this record with evidence such as results of student opinion surveys, peer evaluations, statements from former students, and other relevant information.
Nomination Process & Schedule
ONLY ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Nomination must be written by a tenured departmental colleague in the nominee's discipline.
The chair of the department shall provide the full nomination packet to the department tenured faculty prior to the ballot, and the chair of the department promotion and tenure committee shall conduct a secret ballot of all tenured members of the department/school and submit the vote with the nomination. Upon affirmation of a majority of those voting, the chair shall forward the nomination(s) to the dean.
The dean of the college shall evaluate the credentials and submit the names of no more than 10% of the tenured faculty in their college for nomination to the University Professors Committee.
The University Professors Committee shall normally be comprised of one tenured faculty member from each college who holds the designation of University Professor as selected by the College Promotion and Tenure Committee. The University Professors Committee may, by an affirmative vote of at least four members, recommend designation to the provost and vice president for academic affairs who will make the final designation not later than January 1 for the next year.
Schedule of Tenured Faculty For University Professor Designation
| DATES | ACTIONS |
|---|---|
| 8/1 | Provost and vice president for academic affairs calls for nomination of eligible faculty to be submitted to the department/school chair and forms the University Professors Committee. |
| 9/1 | Nomination(s) submitted by a tenured departmental colleague in the nominee's discipline. |
| 10/1 | Chair of department/school promotion and tenure committee conducts a secret ballot of all tenured faculty members in the department/school to select the nominees and forwards the nominees who received a majority of the vote, including the votes, to the college dean. |
| 11/1 | College dean evaluates the credentials of the department/school nominees and selects the college nominees for submission to the University Professors Committee via the Provost’s office. The materials must be submitted to the Provost’s Office electronically. The number of college nominees shall not exceed 10% of the college’s tenured faculty. |
| 12/1 | University Professors Committee reviews the college nominees and submits its recommendations to the provost and vice president for academic affairs. Nominees forwarded to the provost and vice president for academic affairs must have an affirmative vote of at least four Committee members. |
| 1/1 | Provost and vice president for academic affairs decides which of the University Professor nominees submitted by the Committee will be designated as University Professors. |
Nomination Packet Requirements
The nomination packet shall include:
- Personal statement by the person nominated describing general teaching philosophy [maximum two pages double spaced].
- Documentation of teaching innovations.
- Additional documentation such as a current Portfolio Review is required.
- Curriculum vitae with priority given to activities and awards that focus on teaching [maximum two pages].
- Professor's teaching log listing courses taught in the last five years with number of students, numerical student opinion surveys for the last five years, grade distributions from the last three years, and all student comments for the last three years.
- In addition to the nomination letter, no more than four letters of support with at least two written by former students who have graduated from the University. The other two may come from persons in the community of his or her profession including former students [maximum 12 pages]. All letters should be solicited by and sent to the nominator not the nominee.
Award & Presentation
The recipients will be recognized at the annual faculty awards dinner with a certificate. Also, their names, along with the names of previous award winners, will be included on a large plaque prominently displayed in Webb Center. The recipients will each receive $3000 annually in discretionary funds for four years, as long as they remain faculty members at ODU. The recipient is not required (or invited) to make a presentation.
Past Award Winners
2009:
- R James Swanson, Biological Sciences
- G Steven Rhiel, Information Technology & Descision Sciences
- James W Kosnik, Music
- Joyce Neff, English
2010:
- Edward S. Neukrug, Counseling and Human Services
- Sharon Raver-Lampman, Communication Disorders and Special Education
- Ralph W. Stevens III, Biological Sciences
- Victoria Time, Sociology and Criminal Justice
- Susan Lynn Tolle, Dental Hygiene
- Steve A. Yetiv, Political Science and Geography
- Dennis J. Zeisler, Music
2011:
- Nancy Klein, Music
- Charles Sukenik, Physics
- Francis Adams, Political Science and Geography
- Gayle McCombs, Dental Hygiene
2012:
- John Griffith, Finance
- Laurie Henry, Accounting
- Elaine Justice, Psychology
- Michael Pearson, English
2013:
- Mark D. Havey, Physics
2014:
- Yvette Pearson, Philosophy & Religious Studies
- Jaewan Yoon, Civil & Environmental Engineering
2015:
- Annette Finley-Croswhite, History
- Ed Gomez, Human Movement Sciences
- Charles Hyde, Physics
- Ling Li, Information Technology & Decision Sciences
2016:
- Przemyslaw Bogacki, Mathematics & Statistics
2017:
- Alex Godunov, Physics
- Mohammad Najand, Finance
2019:
- Luisa Igloria, English
2020:
- Brett Bebber, Department of History
2021:
- Lynn Wiles, Nursing
1998:
- John P Broderick, English
- Chris Drake, Political Science & Geography
- Katharine Kersey, Teaching and Learning
- Timothy C McKee, Accounting
- Karen A Polonko, Sociology & Criminal Justice
- Thomas J Socha, Communications
- G Richard Whittecar, Ocean Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
1999:
- John A Adam, Mathematics & Statistics
- Michele Darby, Dental Hygiene
- Lorraine M Lees, History
- Linda Lilley, Nursing
- Kneeland K Nesius, Biological Sciences
- John F Toomey, Music
2000:
- Janet Bing, English
- Kenneth Daly, Art
- John R Hackworth, Engineering Technology
- Ronald E Johnson, Ocean Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
- Zia Razzaq, Civil & Environmental Engineering
2001:
- Glenn Sussman, Political Science & Geography
- Charles E Wilson Jr, English
- Gilbert Yochum, Economics
2003:
- John Broderick, English
- Timothy C McKee, Accounting
- Roland R Mielke, Electrical & Computer Engineering
- G Richard Whittecar, Ocean Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
2004:
- William H Crouch, Information Technology & Decision Sciences
- Kathy Pearson, History
2005:
- Barbara Bartkus, Business Administration Management
- Janet Peery, English
- Ruth Triplett, Sociology & Criminal Justice
- Jill Dustin, Counseling and Human Services
2006:
- Desmond Cook, Physics
- Edward Markowski, Information Technology & Decision Sciences
- Bryan Porter, Psychology
- Scott Sechrist, Medical Laboratory & Radiation Sciences
- David Swain, Exercise Science Sports Physical Education & Recreation
2007:
- Ravindra Joshi, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Sheri Reynolds, English
- Larry Weinstein, Physics
- Michael Zugelder, Finance
2008:
- Diane Cyr Carmody, Sociology and Criminal Justice
- Lawrence Hatab, Philosophy
- Garrett McAuliffe, Educational Leadership and Counseling
- Alan Savitzky, Biological Sciences
- Joanne Scheibman, English
2009:
- R James Swanson, Biological Sciences
- G Steven Rhiel, Information Technology & Descision Sciences
- James W Kosnik, Music
- Joyce Neff, English
2010:
- Edward S. Neukrug, Counseling and Human Services
- Sharon Raver-Lampman, Communication Disorders and Special Education
- Ralph W. Stevens III, Biological Sciences
- Victoria Time, Sociology and Criminal Justice
- Susan Lynn Tolle, Dental Hygiene
- Steve A. Yetiv, Political Science and Geography
- Dennis J. Zeisler, Music
2011:
- Nancy Klein, Music
- Charles Sukenik, Physics
- Francis Adams, Political Science and Geography
- Gayle McCombs, Dental Hygiene
2012:
- John Griffith, Finance
- Laurie Henry, Accounting
- Elaine Justice, Psychology
- Michael Pearson, English
2013:
- Mark D. Havey, Physics
2014:
- Yvette Pearson, Philosophy & Religious Studies
- Jaewan Yoon, Civil & Environmental Engineering
2015:
- Annette Finley-Croswhite, History
- Ed Gomez, Human Movement Sciences
- Charles Hyde, Physics
- Ling Li, Information Technology & Decision Sciences
2016:
- Przemyslaw Bogacki, Mathematics & Statistics
2017:
- Alex Godunov, Physics
- Mohammad Najand, Finance
2019:
- Luisa Igloria, English
2020:
- Brett Bebber, Department of History
2021:
- Lynn Wiles, Nursing
1998:
- John P Broderick, English
- Chris Drake, Political Science & Geography
- Katharine Kersey, Teaching and Learning
- Timothy C McKee, Accounting
- Karen A Polonko, Sociology & Criminal Justice
- Thomas J Socha, Communications
- G Richard Whittecar, Ocean Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
1999:
- John A Adam, Mathematics & Statistics
- Michele Darby, Dental Hygiene
- Lorraine M Lees, History
- Linda Lilley, Nursing
- Kneeland K Nesius, Biological Sciences
- John F Toomey, Music
2000:
- Janet Bing, English
- Kenneth Daly, Art
- John R Hackworth, Engineering Technology
- Ronald E Johnson, Ocean Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
- Zia Razzaq, Civil & Environmental Engineering
2001:
- Glenn Sussman, Political Science & Geography
- Charles E Wilson Jr, English
- Gilbert Yochum, Economics
2003:
- John Broderick, English
- Timothy C McKee, Accounting
- Roland R Mielke, Electrical & Computer Engineering
- G Richard Whittecar, Ocean Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
2004:
- William H Crouch, Information Technology & Decision Sciences
- Kathy Pearson, History
2005:
- Barbara Bartkus, Business Administration Management
- Janet Peery, English
- Ruth Triplett, Sociology & Criminal Justice
- Jill Dustin, Counseling and Human Services
2006:
- Desmond Cook, Physics
- Edward Markowski, Information Technology & Decision Sciences
- Bryan Porter, Psychology
- Scott Sechrist, Medical Laboratory & Radiation Sciences
- David Swain, Exercise Science Sports Physical Education & Recreation
2007:
- Ravindra Joshi, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Sheri Reynolds, English
- Larry Weinstein, Physics
- Michael Zugelder, Finance
2008:
- Diane Cyr Carmody, Sociology and Criminal Justice
- Lawrence Hatab, Philosophy
- Garrett McAuliffe, Educational Leadership and Counseling
- Alan Savitzky, Biological Sciences
- Joanne Scheibman, English